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Written Question
Department for Culture, Media and Sport: CK Hutchison Holdings
Tuesday 18th July 2023

Asked by: Apsana Begum (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department has held meetings with representatives of CK Hutchison in the last 12 months.

Answered by John Whittingdale

Details of Ministers and Permanent Secretaries meetings with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK.

Published declarations include the purpose of the meeting and the names of any additional external organisations or individuals in attendance.


Written Question
Swimming Pools: Closures
Monday 21st February 2022

Asked by: Apsana Begum (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the finding of the Swim England report, published September 2021, that 2,000 swimming pools could be lost by the end of the decade.

Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

We recognise the importance of ensuring public access to indoor and outdoor pools and that swimming is a great way for people of all ages to stay fit and healthy. The responsibility of providing this access lies at Local Authority level, and the government continues to encourage Local Authorities to invest in swimming facilities.

The Government has provided a range of support for swimming pools during the pandemic. The £100 million National Leisure Recovery Fund supported the reopening of local authority swimming pools throughout the country, with 1,176 separate pools supported across 701 sites. In addition, Sport England have made 139 Covid support awards to the Swimming & Diving community (totalling £1,178,198).

Beyond Covid, Sport England have awarded £24,575,700 to swimming and diving projects since January 2017, which includes £16,119,002 of funding directly to Swim England.


Written Question
Football Index: Compensation
Tuesday 21st December 2021

Asked by: Apsana Begum (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make it her policy to develop a plan for how compensation will be guaranteed for people affected by the collapse of the Football Index.

Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)

The government appreciates the significant impact that the collapse of the novel gambling product Football Index had on former customers. BetIndex, the company which operated Football Index, went into liquidation on 5 November. The process is continuing and it is likely that this will result in some amounts being reimbursed to creditors. There is no compensation scheme for losses caused by a gambling firm ceasing to operate and the government does not think it would be appropriate to use public funds for these purposes.


Written Question
Rented Housing: Registration
Tuesday 27th July 2021

Asked by: Apsana Begum (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what plans he has to give powers to local authorities to introduce a mandatory short-term lets registration scheme.

Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

Published in June, the Tourism Recovery Plan states that the Government will launch a consultation on the introduction of a Tourist Accommodation Registration Scheme in England.

The Government is committed to hearing the views of all interested parties on the merits and drawbacks of a Registration Scheme, and how any potential scheme could be implemented proportionately to avoid placing a significant regulatory burden on the sector or risking a reduction in supply.

Further details of the timescale for this consultation will be announced in due course.


Written Question
Gambling Act 2005
Monday 26th July 2021

Asked by: Apsana Begum (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, when his Department plans to publish the results of the Gambling Act Review.

Answered by John Whittingdale

The Review of the Gambling Act 2005 was launched on 8 December with a wide-ranging Call for Evidence, which closed on 31 March. We received c.16,000 submissions from a range of stakeholders and members of the public, which we are considering carefully. The government aims to publish a white paper setting out and consulting on next steps by the end of the year.


Written Question
Football Index
Wednesday 14th April 2021

Asked by: Apsana Begum (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if he will commission an independent investigation into the Gambling Commission's handling of the collapse of Football Index.

Answered by John Whittingdale

The Gambling Commission has suspended the licence of BetIndex Ltd, the operators of Football Index, and a live investigation is ongoing. Further information, including an update on the status of customer funds, can be found on the Commission’s website: https://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/news-action-and-statistics/news/2021/BetIndex-update.aspx

The government is taking the collapse of Football Index and the concerns of those affected by it very seriously, and the Secretary of State and I have met the Gambling Commission to receive urgent updates. We are particularly keen to understand both how this situation came about and what lessons we can learn from these events.

It is a condition of a gambling operating licence that customers should be able to withdraw funds from their accounts. The Commission acted to suspend BetIndex’s licence on learning that the operator planned to freeze access to funds. Operators who hold customer funds must tell customers whether funds are protected in event of insolvency and the level of the protection offered. Football Index provides a medium level of customer funds protection, which means customer funds are kept in accounts separate from business accounts, and arrangements are made to ensure assets in the customer accounts are distributed to customers in the event of insolvency.

The government has launched a Review of the Gambling Act 2005 and has called for evidence on a range of issues across the sector, including the powers and resources of the Gambling Commission. The call for evidence closes on 31 March, and we will be led by the evidence received.


Written Question
Musicians: EU Countries
Monday 22nd February 2021

Asked by: Apsana Begum (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digtal, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to ensure that musicians are able to continue to tour in EU countries and that additional costs do not stop that practice being financially viable.

Answered by Caroline Dinenage

In negotiations with the EU we fought for a great proposal for our world-leading creative industries. I deeply regret that the EU rejected our proposals. Our proposals remain on the table and our door is open if the EU is willing to reconsider its position.

DCMS has established a Working Group to bring together sector representatives and other key government departments to look at the issues facing the creative and cultural sectors when touring the EU. The group will work together to provide clarity regarding the practical steps that need to be taken by creative professionals when touring the EU, including around carnets and customs declarations, and it will explore how these sectors can be supported to work and tour in the EU with confidence.


Written Question
Musical Instruments: Customs
Monday 22nd February 2021

Asked by: Apsana Begum (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether he plans to support musicians who have purchased ATA Carnets to travel and work in EU countries.

Answered by Caroline Dinenage

In negotiations with the EU we fought for a great proposal for our world-leading creative industries. I deeply regret that the EU rejected our proposals. Our proposals remain on the table and our door is open if the EU is willing to reconsider its position.

DCMS has established a Working Group to bring together sector representatives and other key government departments to look at the issues facing the creative and cultural sectors when touring the EU. The group will work together to provide clarity regarding the practical steps that need to be taken by creative professionals when touring the EU, including around carnets and customs declarations, and it will explore how these sectors can be supported to work and tour in the EU with confidence.


Written Question
Musicians: Visas
Monday 22nd February 2021

Asked by: Apsana Begum (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether he plans to negotiate with the EU fast-track visas for musicians to work and tour in the EU.

Answered by Caroline Dinenage

In negotiations with the EU we fought for a great proposal for our world-leading creative industries. I deeply regret that the EU rejected our proposals. Our proposals remain on the table and our door is open if the EU is willing to reconsider its position.

DCMS has established a Working Group to bring together sector representatives and other key government departments to look at the issues facing the creative and cultural sectors when touring the EU. The group will work together to provide clarity regarding the practical steps that need to be taken by creative professionals when touring the EU, including around carnets and customs declarations, and it will explore how these sectors can be supported to work and tour in the EU with confidence.


Written Question
Broadband: Greater London
Monday 11th January 2021

Asked by: Apsana Begum (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate he has made of the number of properties in (a) Poplar and Limehouse constituency and (b) Tower Hamlets that have broadband speeds of less than 10Mbps.

Answered by Matt Warman

According to Ofcom’s Connected Nations 2020 report, with data collected in September 2020,

  1. Poplar and Limehouse constituency contains 459 premises which are unable to receive 10Mbps via a fixed line connection.

  2. Tower Hamlets contains 723 premises which are unable to receive 10Mbps via a fixed line connection.

The average fixed line download speed is:

  1. 59.3Mbps in Poplar and Limehouse and;

  2. 53.7Mbps in Tower Hamlets.

This only accounts for the speeds premises receive via a fixed line broadband connection and therefore does not take into account those premises which are able to access a faster connection via a 4G or 5G mobile data service.

Most of these premises are likely to be able to access Superfast speeds via 4G (and some via 5G) with a mobile broadband data service.

According to Ofcom’s Connected Nations 2020 report with data collected in September 2020, accounting for mobile broadband data services,

  1. Poplar and Limehouse constituency contains 134 premises which are unable to receive a connection that meets the requirements of the broadband Universal Service Obligation.

  2. Tower Hamlets contains 335 premises which are unable to receive a connection that meets the requirements of the broadband Universal Service Obligation.